Plasticizers are additives to plastics that increase flexibility and durability of hard, rigid plastics. In many ways they are like high boiling solvents for plastics that do not evaporate. The global usage of phthalate plasticizers is 11 billion pounds per year at a value exceeding $30 billion. Phthalate plasticizers have come under great scrutiny recently due to their toxicity and persistence in the environment. For instance, the plasticizer bis-2-ethylhexyl phthalate poses a risk to human development and fertility and has been found to be a carcinogen and a toxin to reproductive systems. Thus, there is a need for new plasticizers that do not pose these problems and are environmentally benign.
Acetone is one of the most widely produced and used chemicals. It is used extensively in the plastics industry. Sixty-six percent of acetone is used to make methyl methacrylate and bisphenol-A. Seventeen percent of acetone is used as a zero VOC solvent for coatings. The remainder is used to produce other chemicals such as methyl isobutyl ketone and cyanohydrins. The plasticizer industry would pose a significant gain for acetone producers if acetone could be used as a feedstock to manufacture plasticizers that would replace or augment the present use of phthalate plasticizers.